Number Nine

John Garnett's secretary fed me to the dogs on my own birthday. I called his number endlessly to call for help, only for him to block my number immediately, as he fooled around with his secretary at the presidential suite in broad daylight. All I felt was agony as I was ripped into countless little pieces, still holding on to the black rose seeds he had given me when we were younger. That was not thrilling enough for the secretary, however, she buried me in the backyard of John' villa, intent on making my perished soul watch their bedroom activities. It was not until rain poured a month later, and a cluster of black roses suddenly grew in the backyard. "Where's Claire? I was just scaring her with the dogs—did she run away just to spite me?"

Willow has been working for Dimitri Rustanov for the past nine months and with each passing day, she feels like quitting. Her attractive boss has been making her life a living hell and she has no idea why. Little does she know that Dimitri has a valid reason for pushing her away... Dimitri has always known he would have a werewolf mate but when Willow shows up and by all indications is his mate—his human mate—he does everything he can to push her away. That is until the day his wolf gets fed up and decides he wants his mate...

The fifth time we went to the courthouse, James Ceasar and I still weren’t officially married. We had picked a good day for it, but right before it was our turn, he got a call and rushed off in a hurry. With my eyes turning red, I pointed at the screen showing the waiting numbers, trying to stop him. “We're next. It won't take more than ten minutes. We can get it done fast. Once we’re officially married, you can go and deal with whatever’s so urgent. It won’t take long.” James was the CEO of his company, so he had full control over his schedule. That was why I said it like that, not thinking it would be a big deal. However, he just glanced at the screen, handed me the ticket with our number on it, and looked annoyed. “I can marry you anytime,” he said. “But right now, I’ve got something I need to take care of. Don’t make a fuss.”

Nine years into my "non-cohabiting partnership" with Simon, his father passed away. The first condition in his will was simple: Simon and Ella had to conceive a child. On the day the child turned one month old, Simon would inherit his father's fortune. Simon told me this himself—the night I walked in on them tangled in our bed. Afterward, as he took a slow drag from his cigarette, he murmured, "Lily, just wait a little longer. Once I get the inheritance, I'll marry you." But he went back on his word. From then on, every time Simon planned to meet Ella at our house, he would hang a string of bells on the door. Since his father's passing, those bells had chimed ninety-nine times. After the ninety-ninth, the news arrived—Ella was pregnant, and their engagement party was set. My daughter saw the invitation, hesitated, then softly asked, "Mom, is Daddy's name on this?" I forced a smile and gently smoothed her messy hair into a neat ponytail. "Daddy is marrying the one he loves," I said. "And I'm taking you home." Simon never understood—I never cared about that marriage certificate.

"Did you kill him?" The detective asked again."I've already answered you like a thousand times... Yes, he was a monster. Yes, he beat me up a lot but I didn't do it. I didn't kill Jude!" Amanda replied."I'm sorry. I know what it's like to be a victim of abuse and all that, but you need to understand that murder is a serious case too. You'll have to forgive us for asking you continually it's just that you were the closest to him we've got here.""I wasn't. There was someone else he was seeing that knew a lot about him than I ever did," Amanda replied.*******The night was growing colder and the rains seemed to have agitated in full force. Amanda sat on one of the soft leather chairs that squeaked with her every move in the living room with tears in her eyes as she watched the rains drop on the floor forming small pools and waited for Jude to come back. She was worried sick about his whereabouts even though all his presence caused her were pain and more tears. The protruding bump on her stomach, made it quite difficult to move around at ease so she was stuck with calling his busied line while she watched the clock tick its way into the midnight mark.*****A heart rending story told differently. Stronger than Pain captures a dysfunctional Nigerian home where a callous man, beats his wife on a daily basis. Time flies and now he is dead. All the characters have a reason to kill him, but she's their number one suspect. The Question still remains, who pulled the trigger?

Synopsis: Elias Grunt. Thorn's public enemy number one. Elizia Saavedra, a wealthy, mysterious woman. Eliseo Saavedra, Elizia's brother and a lunatic. Fate will make their paths cross and chaos will soon to follow. Battle between the supernatural species will prove to be bloody and innocent bystanders will always be collateral damage. The journey to becoming the chosen alpha and the path to true love will be paved by death and destruction. Is there a happy ending on a story that was doomed from the beginning? What will it take to reach peace and prosperity? Is love really worth the sacrifice?

Edith Sherwood is an orphan girl who is strict and idealistic. She ran for chairman of the student committee at her school. Her path to victory is cut short when Edith discovers that she is nine months pregnant. How did that happen? Edith was the only ordinary human being, as she knew herself. She went to a special school for werewolves. Edith hasn't gone through puberty for the past 5 years and thinks she's fine. Who would have thought that a one-night stand with Seth Tinley McKirby, a popular bad boy at her school, would lead to her anomalous pregnancy? --- "For what? I don't want to deal with you anymore, Seth! So go and leave me alone, and then just assume that nothing has ever happened between us!" Edith snapped. "I will be responsible. You are pregnant, and the child in your womb is my child." "I really hate you, Seth!" Seth felt awry. "I want to set something straight. Edith, I love you, and I will wait until you give all of your heart to me," Seth insisted. --- The anomalous pregnancy leads Edith to the truth about her identity. Her past and supernatural abilities are slowly revealed, leading Edith to her destiny with Seth and their baby. How can she improve her destiny?

When Isabel Baker agreed to moonlight as a bartender at a private party, she never imagined she'd get anything more than tips. However, on this resort island, nothing was ever that simple. After tending bar with the deliciously handsome Noah who was flown in for the party, Izzy realized that she was about to break her number one rule: never fall for a tourist. But with his quick wit, charming smile and passion for marine life, Noah was the kind of guy that she couldn’t resist. At the end of the night, she barely managed to turn him away from coming home with her. Noah had only come to the island for one of Jack Saunders' famous parties. Yet once he met Izzy, he couldn’t bring himself to leave. After one steamy night together, he knew that he would do almost anything to keep her. Theirs should have been an easy love story, complete with a happily ever after. Except Noah was also moonlighting as a bartender that night and his true identity threatened Izzy’s research. When his billion-dollar company and her marine research project collide, their entire relationship crumbles into the sand. Will they be able to rebuild their beautiful sandcastle together, or will it be washed away by the rising tide, forever just a memory?

An orphan girl, Cali Ruth, who felt left out, unwanted and unloved. But what would happen when she would find out that she was actually not orphan? She decided to move on in her life after running away from her husband. But was it the end? Probably not. Because she crossed his path again. "...So, let me introduce infront of you all, my beautiful daughter and heiress, Callistaa Russells." announced Mr. Callix Russells, feeling proud and emotional as she was the reflection of his Celestaa, and he moved making everyone's eyes to fall on the beautiful lady behind him, including Cain's. And there she was, standing confidently introducing herself as Callistaa Russells. A beauty with a pair of heterochromic gunmetal and hazel eyes. But he knew that she was his wife, Cali Ruth, who had left him nine months ago just like that. Though she was showing indifference infront of him as if she was meeting him for the first time, he knew that she was his wife. And now, he would love to remind her that and will not let her go, ever again. **The cover photo of this novel doesn't belong to me. Taken from the internet.**

William Albert is a man who is always the subject of ridicule in his wife's family just because he is considered to be from a poor family. Audrey, William's wife and owner of the Wilco Company after his father died, is the only heir to the company and always insults William despite being her husband. Their marriage was due to the wishes of his father who liked William's very good behavior and felt sorry for William because he was an orphan from both his adoptive parents who had died. William Albert has been Audrey's father's personal chauffeur for five years. Until one day, an old man named Johannes came to see him and confessed that he was an errand boy from his biological father who was still alive. Johannes admitted that he had been looking for him for nine years from the kidnapping incident in the past that caused William to be separated from his parents until William was cared for by a simple family because he was found on the side of the road. Johannes also said that William was the sole heir to the Albert Company. The largest textile company in the city.